Kar's Nuts hires candy, snack industry veteran as new CEO

Nick Nicolay, the company's president and CEO since 1995, becomes chairman

Victor Mehren

Kar Nut Products Co. is bringing in a new CEO who comes from 17 years with Mars Wrigley Confectionery, maker of everything from Snickers candy bar to Orbit gum.

Victor Mehren, 48, joins the Madison Heights-based trail mix manufacturer as Nick Nicolay, 64, president and CEO since 1995, transitions to the less labor-intensive role of chairman. Mehren started Monday.

Kar's Nuts President and CEO Nick Nicolay will transition to the role of chairman.

Mehren anticipates speeding up product innovation at Kar's. In his new role, he presides over Kar's and Sanders and reports to the board of directors, of which Nicolay is now chairman.

The Sanders brand has its own president, Bill Elam, who reports to Mehren. Elam replaced Sanders' leader, Brian Jefferson, who said around time of the sale that he planned to eventually retire.

The son of longtime Kar's leader Bud Nicolay is stepping back, though he said he sees the process more as "transitioning" than "retiring." He said he hasn't decided what's next for him, and that he and Palladium made the decision together.

"It was just time for the next generation of leadership for the organization," Nicolay said. "It's grown, gotten much larger. It's time to bring someone in who has a stronger consumer packaged-goods background. (Mehren's) background with Mars and Wrigley is tremendous for our organization at this time.

"I've been here for 35 years, and I think every organization is in need of new learnings, a fresh set of eyes and legs, and I think we're at a phase now that we need to take (on) some larger, organizational skill sets that (Mehren) brings."

Mehren was most recently Mars Wrigley Confectionery U.S.'s chief operating officer and led integration of the newly merged Mars and Wrigley business units, according to a news release. Before that he was general manager of Wrigley, general manager of Mars Ice Cream & Substantial Snacks and general manager of Mars Chocolate Canada. Before that he worked for Wrigley and PowerBar.

Kar's and Sanders owner Morley Candy Makers LLC combined last October to form a snacks and candy maker that recorded $185 million in total sales in 2018. Nicolay expects sales in the "low $190 millions" in 2019.

Nicolay said Mehren is the ideal candidate to help improve brand marketing.

Mehren wants the company to develop and sell new types of Kar's trail mix, new chocolate-caramel products from Sanders and other snacks that are a hybrid between the two brands, he said. He also sees opportunities for broader distribution.

Kar's was founded by Sue Kar in 1933. The Nicolay family owned it from 1966 to 2017. It was headed up by Bud Nicolay until 1995, when Nick Nicolay took over.

Now Kar's and another brand of nut mixes its sells, Second Nature, are distributed in leading retailers in 50 states. Sanders is sold across the U.S. through Costco. The company employs around 450.